NBA Scouting Reports, Southwestern Division (Part One)May 15, 2008Overview: Brown’s career has been a well-documented disappointment to date, making him the poster boy for the argument in favor of the NBA draft age limit. His steady development over his first three years was overshadowed by the pressure he was under to perform as Michael Jordan’s hand-picked franchise future, first overall in the draft. Brown has a decent skill-set and great physical size and athleticism. He lacks the hand size necessary to play effectively with his back to the basket and hasn’t really developed his face-up game. Overall, it seems Brown’s development has been hindered by expectations and the mental strain of trying to live up to them. He is still young enough to carve himself out a solid career as a Dale Davis type if he puts the work in and stops feeling sorry for himself.

Offense: Brown spends most of his time in the post or on basket cuts. He is not a good finisher near the basket however, often losing control of the ball on the release when encountering contact. Brown’s overall shooting percentage from the field is respectable, but when you factor in how close to the basket most of his attempts are, it is clear he needs to work on this aspect of his game. Brown looks like he could develop a decent set shot out to 15-17 feet, but has never shown any consistent dedication to developing it-like most aspects of his game. He does get to the free throw line at a solid rate, but shoots an incredibly poor percentage there. His FT% steadily and shockingly dropped from 71% as a rookie to 41% in 07-08. He’s not a bad passer, but he turns the ball over far too much to earn too many points here.

Defense: This aspect of Brown’s game has slipped a bit since he returned from injury and got traded to the Grizzlies. When he was a part of the Lakers big man rotation, Brown showed some promise on the defensive end. Brown has a great combination of size and speed and at his best he can be a tough man defender. Brown isn’t much of a shot-blocker, but he’ll body up and challenge shots effectively when motivated. His team defense is hit-or-miss depending on the evening. He has the ability to help and recover, but doesn’t always bring the energy and focus he needs to make all his rotations. He’s also a decent rebounder, although not quite as good as you might hope considering his tools. [Read Full Article]